LEXINGTON — Former Kentucky quarterback Andre Woodson admits his first year as a student assistant coach with the UK¿program has been a bit of an adjustment for him.
“It was definitely different. Obviously it has been a transition going from the playing field to the sideline coaching,” said Woodson. “I love it, though. I still get the itch to get out there and compete sometimes, so I have to guard against that since I¿am coaching and trying to help the quarterbacks, not compete with them.
“I want to help them understand their checks they can get in and out of and get them on the same page with coaches like (quarterback) coach (Randy) Sanders did for me and try to make them better players. It is a totally different role for me, but I truly do love it and think it is a calling for me and something I will continue to pursue. I want to be a coach.”
Woodson threw for 9,360 yards and 81 touchdowns at UK by completing 822 of 1,311 passes. He had a streak of 325 consecutive passes without an interception. He led UK¿to bowl wins over Clemson and Florida State his final two seasons.
Woodson, who is completing his degree work, cannot work with the players during the summer months. They are off limits to him just like they are to other UK coaches. “I am not allowed to mess with them. I¿have the same rules to follow as the other coaches,” Woodson said. “I would love to work as much as possible with them and really get those guys mechanically prepared for the upcoming season, but I¿understand the guidelines I have to operate under.”
Here are thoughts Woodson shared on his role at UK, his NFL experience, Morgan Newton and his coaching goals:
Question: Are you the good guy on the coaching staff or are you young enough to get away with really being hard on the players?
Woodson: “I try to do both. I try to be a good guy and pat them on the back. I try to relate to them. With me and coach Sanders playing the same position, we can relate to quarterbacks and know what they are seeing and what is going through their minds. I try to be the guy to calm them down. I want them to tell me what they are seeing and let me help them get on the same page. If they make a dumb mistake, I get after them. But I try more to be the guy to pat them on the back and relate to them and build them up.”
Question: Do you think junior Morgan Newton views you more as a coach or as a former Kentucky starting quarterback?
Woodson: “It is hard to tell what he thinks. Just that I came out (of Kentucky) a year before he came in. My name is still pretty fresh with his age group. I have not been gone that long. It is hard for me to tell if he is listening to me as a former quarterback or understands I am coaching now. He is listening to me. He is doing a great job doing all I ask, or letting me mess around with his mechanics and his balance. He is always willing to just listen to the coaching we are giving him. I¿have not seen him not showing respect to me just like he does coach Sanders. I would expect him to listen to coach Sanders more, but I expect him to allow me to coach him as well and he has been great doing that.”
Question: What are your impressions of freshman quarterback Maxwell Smith, who enrolled at UK¿in January after not playing during the 2010 season?
Woodson: “Max has one of those special gifts. His passes literally go wherever he wants them to go. He can put the ball on the right shoulder. He leads receivers properly. He has something we can’t coach and that is accuracy. He has to continue to learn the playbook. He has been in the film room a lot. He’s been in my office a lot. He comes about every day for an hour and watches film on his own. He challenges himself.
“I think highly of him. I think he has a lot of ability. I am excited to see what he turns into. You can build an offense with him if we get him to learn the playbook. Once things slow down for him, he could be really good. It’s very surprising he was not recruited by big schools his senior year in high school. He jumped around a couple of schools and was never in one system a long time to get recognized.
“Fortunately for us, it worked out well for Kentucky. We got a lead on him, took a look and the coaches were really impressed and were able to get him up here. We are all very excited to have him in our program.”
Question: Can he legitimately pressure Newton for the starting job in August?
Woodson: “It will be very difficult, but at the same time he is really doing a great job. He is kind of similar to me. He’s really calm about everything he does. He does not let anything frustrate him or get to him. He is always pushing himself because he understands what it takes to be a great quarterback. He will not let anything rattle him. He stays calm and it shows in the huddle as well as off the field. Playing that position can be overwhelming and difficult. That’s why the position is not for everybody. I think highly of him. He has tons of ability and this spring he showed a lot of what he can do, but not everything. We have to continue to build on that to get him better and keep him right there, ready to play if needed.”
Question: Have the expectations for Newton been too high or is that just something every quarterback must accept?
Woodson: “Morgan came out of high school so highly touted. He won state titles and did great things and was considered an All-American. With all the things he did people automatically expected him to do even better at the next level. He had a lot of hype and expectations. We had just been to two bowl games and were on the verge of really going big-time with this program. People wanted to see the program go to the next level and were expecting him to just jump in here and take over and make it happen.
“He was the same way I was and probably needed a year to redshirt and understand how to work and study film but he didn’t get that year. He always had the ability just to get by in any situation and at this level you have to learn to work. He really learned that last year when he didn’t play much. He is human. He can’t be perfect. He has a great chance of really doing some special things next season. Obviously, it’s up to him but I am excited to see this be his team and let him take control.”
Question: Is there enough help on the offense to give Newton a chance to have an outstanding season like you did as a junior?
Woodson: “The great thing for me was all those guys stayed healthy. The year before, I lost three receivers in the first three games. That really hurt me as a sophomore. Morgan did not start last year, and that has motivated him. Last year, everybody depended on Randall (Cobb) to make plays. Now they understand we are depending on them and they have to make plays for themselves to help Morgan and the team. The spring game was not great, but in practice a lot of guys showed ability. We have a lot of talent in our receiving group. We think highly of a lot of these guys. There will be an opportunity to go out and make plays and make a name for themselves as a good group.
“All these receivers are still fairly young, especially when it comes to experience. With a great year and then another great year, they can show people what they can really do just like Jacob Tamme,¿Keenan Burton, Stevie Johnson and Dicky Lyons did with me.”
Question: Does it surprise you that Tamme and Johnson have emerged as solid NFL receivers?
Woodson: “It’s no surprise at all. The best thing that happened to Tamme was turning him into a tight end. He wanted to play receiver, but we all kept thinking even with those great hands, he just was not fast enough. One day the decision was made to make him a tight end and it was the best thing ever for him and our team. Stevie came in from junior college with a lot of ability. You could definitely see him playing in the NFL. Once we got him to learn the system, he just took off. But you could tell they both had tremendous ability and knew they were both big-time. I think Keenan still has a chance to get back in the league and do really well. I thought he actually had the most ability of anybody on our team.”
Question: Do you even now understand why your professional career did not last longer or go better?
Woodson: “I honestly can’t figure it out. The big thing with me was my mechanics. I would like to say that was the only issue. My throwing motion and dropback, everyone zoomed in on them and felt I was not good enough to be a second or third round draft pick. I got to New York (with the Giants) and they immediately started messing with my mechanics. After the second training camp, I thought I was doing well and had a great shot to stay on the team. Preseason games did not go well. I never got in a rhythm and things happen. I ended up in Washington and that did not work out. Now I¿am here coaching. I cannot live in the past. I am excited to be here and feeling wanted. I¿hope I can do a great job helping the quarterbacks get better.”
Question: Do you regret playing in the Senior Bowl and having Mike Martz as a position coach for that week?
Woodson: “Mike Martz did a number on me from the second I got in there. The first minute of practice we were just warming up and he was telling me how bad my drop was, that my balance was horrible and that I¿had to change throwing motion. I was thinking then I made mistake and should not have come. It was bad. It was a disaster really. After the very first practice, I talked to my agent and told him we had made a big mistake. It really hurt me.¿I was being mentioned as the second or third quarterback in the draft.I went from a top 15 pick to sixth round after three days of practice with him.
“I had never heard all those things about my game before. One time coach Sanders had said I might want to think about changing my throwing motion a little bit. But I¿always heard him before and still say that if you are throwing well, don’t mess with your motion. I¿felt no need to change since I was throwing well. I never heard how bad my balance was. But when a certain coach gets hold of you and says stuff like that, it becomes contagious with other teams and did not work out very well for me.”
Question: Do you have a long-term coaching goal?
Woodson: “I would love to be an offensive coordinator for a college team. I would love to stay here. I would love for this staff after this season to keep me aboard. I know how this business is, but I want to stay in college. I want to be part of the collegiate level. I think my relatively young age can help in recruiting and being able to relate to kids. Since I played in the SEC, my name is still fairly well out there and a lot of people still remember me. Recruiting would be something that I¿think I would really enjoy and be good at.”
Question: So are you studying the coaches now to help your long-term goal?
Woodson: “That is what I have done. I try to pay attention to all the coaches because everybody is special and different. I love listening to coaches and being in meetings. I¿love breaking down game footage. I could watch offense probably 10 hours a day. I love watching other teams, new schemes. I definitely enjoy learning the game, how to coach, picking up different things. I¿just enjoy that a lot and like to get better at every aspect of the game and being a coach because I know I¿have a lot to learn and this is a great place to learn.”
